A while ago we posted the top films for entrepreneurs, we continue today by talking about those TV shows that entrepreneurs should watch.

Aside from general entertainment, they also offer learning value to the up and coming entrepreneur, in no order of priority here they are, and of course should you have any recommendations please let us know.

Reality TV

Dragon’s Den – BBC -  is a series of reality television programs featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. In the U.S. this show is called Shark Tank.

American Inventor – ABC – s a reality television series based on a competition to be named America’s best inventor. It was conceived by UK entrepreneur Peter Jones. It was organized as a competition between the various Inventors resulting in one overall winner.

Tycoon – ITV – the show searched for entrepreneurs with ideas that he helped turn into profit-making companies. The winner was chosen by the public.

Shows

While most shows don’t focus strictly on the entrepreneurial lives of their characters, some are definitely more focused on the subject than others.

How to make it in America – HBO –  follows two enterprising twenty-somethings hustling their way through New York City’s fashion scene, determined to achieve their version of the American Dream.

Arrested Development – FOX – While the show focuses on the Bluth family and may oftentimes be seen as simply relating to them, there are a number of underlying business themes that are relevant towards entrepreneurship, or more appropriately “what not to do in business”.

The Kit Curran Radio Show – ITV – Kit Curran does pretty much anything to make some cash, especially in season 2 where the viewer can see many of his entrepreneurial ventures typically fail.

Mad Men – AMC – While Mad Men focuses on the advertising industry of the 1960’s in New York, the new season is gearing up to be very entrepreneurship focused with the entire crew having decided to start their own agency.

Think anything else belongs here? Let us know.

Believe it. Google has more recently than not launched a new service allowing for next to anyone to buy ad airtime on TV, and it’s part of AdWords. Google TV Ads works very similarly to the current AdWords, you log in with your existing Google account, upload an ad 15, 30 second, etc… name your price, place it in a network and time slot, and boom there you go. Your home made ad is now on TV.

Of course getting your advertisement during a top rated show such as the Simpsons, South Park, or similar is going to cost you a heavy penny as you’ll be competing for airtime with large advertising companies, multinationals brands, etc… and in all as a startup, it’s probably not the most effective manner in which you can spend you ad dollars, but nonetheless, an ad during off peak may be just what you’re looking for.

Though we can’t really vouch for the effectiveness of the service, in the video that we’ve included from from SlateV on using the new service, they explain that from the one million people who saw the advert only about 1000+ actually typed in the address, making a click through of 0.1%, and for the $1300 they spent on the ad campaign, that makes a potential customer acquisition cost of $1.30. Worth it? Perhaps not for SalteV, but all the same it was just a test ad, and I’m sure that if a company were to offer a service that the TV viewer could use there and then i.e. price promotions, etc… the customer retention would in fact be higher.

Do note though, that “Google TV Ads are available only to advertisers located in the United States who pay in U.S. dollars. We can’t take advertisers from outside the U.S. just yet, and we can’t offer direct debit or prepay as payment options. In addition, advertisers must set up billing prior to initiating a TV Campaign. – Google“